All Shareholder activism and engagement articles
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NewsPension funds urge positive collaboration with policymakers on market reform
Pension investors responsible for a collective £150bn in assets are seeking to engage positively with policymakers to ensure shareholder rights are protected in capital markets reforms.
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NewsBrunel leads engagement with Shell over natural gas plans
Brunel Pension Partnership, Greater Manchester Pension Fund and Merseyside Pension Fund are among LGPS organisations collaborating in a bid to put pressure on oil giant Shell over its plans to expand liquified natural gas output.
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NewsOpperman to lead task force on ‘social factors’ in ESG
Pensions minister Guy Opperman has announced the creation of a task force to aid trustees with monitoring data and international reporting developments as they pertain to the “S” in environmental, social and governance considerations.
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NewsInvestors eye climate risk reporting omissions, CofE challenges VW
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, including an investor coalition applying pressure on companies over their climate reporting, and the Church of England Pensions Board raising the heat on Volkswagen.
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NewsNest piles pressure on Unilever over healthy eating
On the go: Nest has backed a resolution calling on consumer goods giant Unilever to make its food products healthier.
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NewsChurch of England puts pressure on miners, PIC invests in student halls
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, including the Church of England Pensions Board pushing miners on standards, the Pension Insurance Corporation’s investment in low-carbon student accommodation, and a pledge by the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance to halve portfolio emissions by 2030.
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NewsUSS switches to green equities, Aviva warns firms on sustainability
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, with the Universities Superannuation Scheme moving more than £5bn of its global equity investments to a climate transition index, Aviva firing a warning shot at the companies in which it invests, and BMO setting out its engagement priorities for 2022.
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NewsLGPS urged to divest from ‘Israeli settlement economy’
Canadian Professor Michael Lynk, who works with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, has requested that the Local Government Pension Scheme funds divest from any holding that may be linked to contested Israeli settlements.
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NewsRow erupts over FirstGroup pension black hole solution
On the go: A row has erupted between multinational transportation company FirstGroup and Coast Capital, its largest investor, over the former’s use of proceeds from an asset sale to plug a black hole in its pension fund.
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NewsUK pension schemes under-allocated to Chinese equities
UK pension schemes’ allocation to China as a percentage of global equities is generally inadequate, but there is no consensus as to how big the allocation should be, according to participants at Camradata’s Investing in China roundtable.
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NewsJust 19 per cent say TPR criminal powers policy is 'adequately clear'
A mere 19 per cent of people said the Pensions Regulator’s draft policy on the use of its new criminal powers is “adequately clear”, while 65 per cent said they feared it could prompt companies to ditch their pension arrangements, leaving the regulator with much to do to win back industry trust.
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LGPS wades into Israel-Palestine row with UN blacklist engagements
At least two Local Government Pension Scheme funds are undertaking engagements with companies linked to contested Israeli settlements, Pensions Expert can reveal.
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OpinionTime for schemes to crack down on CEO pay
From the blog: A few weeks ago, the High Pay Centre released its annual report on executive pay at FTSE 100 companies. Unsurprisingly the report highlighted a large increase in chief executive officer pay from 2016 to 2017 – rising by 11 per cent.
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OpinionHow shareholder activism is driving better corporate governance
Investors in equities get not just returns, but a valuable vote that can influence the behaviour of the world’s largest companies for the better, writes Royal London Asset Management’s Ashley Hamilton Claxton.
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FeaturesShould schemes engage in more shareholder activism?
Analysis: Facebook has cancelled its plan to issue a new type of non-voting shares following pressure from investors, but some have said UK pension funds lack the size to exert similar influence.
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OpinionWhy shareholder engagement should be on your scheme’s agenda
Growing regulatory pressure and rising member awareness are not the only reasons schemes should engage with the companies they are exposed to, says Shade Duffy from Axa Investment Managers.
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OpinionAre activist investors crossing the pond?
From the blog: Not so long ago activist investors were mostly a problem for US-based pension managers to worry about, largely because it was US-based companies that they had in sight.
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News
How much should you channel members’ ethical views?
Any Other Business:It is natural in a democratic society to expect your voice to be heard. In pension schemes this is channelled through the member-nominated trustee, but when it comes to seeking your members’ views, how much is too much?
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OpinionHow smaller schemes can flex their shareholder muscles
For too long smaller pension schemes have struggled to have their shareholder voices heard. The AMNT’s Janice Turner explains how even the smallest investors can get involved.
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OpinionEditorial: Education and catastrophe
The disconnect between the UK equity markets and long-term investors’ objectives that led to 2011’s Kay review provided both sides with some key recommendations to improve this relationship.